Lawshall mum Clare Skinner remembered for charity work and cancer activism
A grieving husband is leading tributes to his wife and encouraging women to not put off having smear tests.
Lawshall mum-of-four Clare Skinner died aged 32 from cervical cancer having been told at the end of 2019 she had 12-18 months to live.
Having spent much of her final year rallying against her illness, Clare’s condition worsened at the end of last year when a tumour came back in her right leg. Medics then discovered a blood clot in her left leg, which left her immobile.
She died in Bury St Edmunds’ West Suffolk Hospital on Sunday, March 28.
Husband Doug Skinner is now looking to start a charity in honour of Clare to help families when a loved one is affected by cancer.
He told Suffolk News: “Clare always put everyone else first.
“She always had people over the house, and was almost offended if people thought they had to be invited. She would do anything to help.
“Even when she was not at her best, she would always be helping people do things like gardening.”
He said that in her final year, she was still organising charity and community events, including a halloween trail and a hamper competition. She was also working with the village’s Green Light Trust and planted a yew tree with them.
“The village was grateful for everything she did,” said Doug. “We are quite new to Lawshall and have been here for five and a half years. But Clare became well known for her help.”
Clare, who was born in Bury and grew up in Long Melford, leaves behind children Willow, four, Amelia, seven, Aiesha, fourteen, and Logan, five.
Doug said: “The kids have been amazing. We never lied to them about what was happening. I have not been too bad, I’ve been keeping busy with jobs around the house. I am grateful to the support of family and friends.”
Doug said he and Clare credit the film Over the Moon in explaining the situation. The 2020 musical fantasy tells the story of a girl who loses her mother. It was used by the Skinners to show how someone can be gone but not forgotten.
Clare also spent some of her final months in raising awareness of the importance of having a smear test.
She told the Bury Free Press last year: “As a mother you will take your child to the doctor when they have a cold, but we can put ourselves to the bottom of the list.
“From moving home, to having my third child, I was so busy that I delayed having my first smear test by around three years.
“It is so important to have the smear test when invited, as the earlier it is caught the more likely it is to be caught. Me and my husband would not want this to happen to any other family.”
During her cancer battle, Clare kept a log on her Facebook page ‘My Journey of Cervical cancer from every angle' which has been followed by thousands.
A post written by Doug to mark her death has reached almost 27,000 viewers.
He said: “It has made a huge impact already, but we want to keep pushing to get it out there.
“A smear test letter is something you can file away, but it is a letter that has the potential to save your life.”
You can visit Clare's Facebook page here.
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